A third shipment of Covid-19 vaccine from Britain will arrive a week later than planned, the Governor said this week.

But Rena Lalgie added that the delivery delay for the Pfizer jabs was not expected to disrupt vaccination administration.

Ms Lalgie told The Royal Gazette: “It’s a logistical nightmare, I suppose, might be one way of putting it.

“Another might be that it’s been a significant undertaking across the UK and the Overseas Territories to ensure that the vaccines are being shipped … and it’s really about just managing the different pieces of the puzzle.

“So there is nothing broader than just trying to balance the various deliveries that we are making to the Overseas Territories who are currently receiving the vaccine.”

She added: “It is a week difference and given that the last batch of doses was over 19,000 doses … we’ve seen movement on dates in the past.

“I think we have worked really closely with the Government of Bermuda to ensure that the information is available and made public as soon as we can.

“But we’ve had these slight movements in dates in the past and this is very much in keeping with that.”

Ms Lalgie said that the shipment was expected to arrive in the first week of March.

Government House said last Thursday that the consignment was due to arrive on the British Airways flight from London in the week beginning February 22.

A spokeswoman added: “With this shipment, Bermuda will have received a total of 39,000 doses from the UK.”

Ms Lalgie said today: “We are in daily discussions with Public Health England and with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office about the way forward and also with the Government of Bermuda in terms of what the plans are going forward."

The news came as a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health said that it made sense to pour resources into a vaccination clinic at Bermuda College instead of running three sites, as earlier indicated by the Government.

David Burt, the Premier, said on February 2 that the number of vaccine administration locations would be increased.

He added then: “A third vaccination centre would allow for more persons to receive the vaccine daily and help us to increase the number vaccinated.”

But the Government said on February 11 that the vaccination centre at the Police Recreation Club at Prospect would close two days later.

Anyone with appointments scheduled for the police club after last Saturday was asked to go to the Bermuda College campus in Paget instead.

A health ministry spokeswoman said last night: “The new vaccination centre at the Bermuda College will allow the Government of Bermuda to further accelerate a vaccination programme that places Bermuda in the top ten globally of doses administered per capita.

“While reviewing the available resources, it was prudent to put more resources at the Bermuda College, rather than having three sites.”

She added that the Government was confident it would meet its target of 38,000 jabs by the end of March.